Social is a far cry from the tatty pub it replaced. Despite some near-cliché hip elements—yet another Hemingway drinking quote on the wall—this 118-seat dinner destination surprises with sophisticated cooking behind a menu deep with enticing dishes. When pressed for a category, Jeffrey Boullt, the executive chef who has lived and worked in several states, settles for Progressive American with Southern influences.

Event Calendars

O.C. abounds with restaurants eager to pamper couples looking for a special night out. Katherine Nguyen offers seven suggestions for date-night destinations, from casual Kettlebar to sumptuous Studio at the Montage.

More Life in O.C.

Just across the freeway from downtown San Juan Capistrano, Marbella Plaza offers top-notch restaurants and an upscale boutique, each with a distinct style and vibe, away from the hustle and bustle of the historic district.

Another thing the diverse crowd here does is drink with gusto. The blur of frosty copper mugs at the bar underscores the enduring popularity of its Moscow Mule, made with fresh-daily house ginger beer. Carefully vetted booze and bartenders are a given at this “modern local,” as it’s known in pub parlance. Bar manager Drew Tripp aligns tightly with the kitchen, all the better for finessing seasonal drink recipes and duly glorifying the unique and allocated bottles he hoards for hooch wonks.

But before you fall too hard too soon for libations—the Druid Divination with strawberries and thyme is quite marvelous—lay a solid base with sesame-glazed Berkshire pork belly folded into springy bao buns with fresh kimchee and sizzled jalapeno wheels. Or dig into a salt-sugar-anise cured chicken, half-fried until the skin shatters, served on ginger risotto scattered with garlic chips. Finish with the chilled, weightless chocolate semifreddo, a confection of chocolate ganache, kataifi, maple caviar, and peanut butter powder, for a finale so refined you’ll think Montelibano is hiding a pastry chef in a corner of this former bookstore.